The Rural Electrification Agency (REA) has urged government agencies, state governments, development partners, private operators, and other stakeholders to adopt a unified approach to expand electricity access across Nigeria. REA's Managing Director, Dr. Abubakar Aliyu, made the call at the relaunch of the Off-Grid Stakeholder Coordination and Partnership Forum in Abuja. He emphasized the need for stronger coordination to prevent project duplication, improve resource utilization, and ensure interventions reach those who need electricity most.
An analysis of the 2024 and 2025 Federal Government budgets using Artificial Intelligence revealed that multiple government institutions were implementing power-related projects, highlighting the need for better coordination. Some agencies involved in these projects are not traditionally regarded as major power-sector institutions. Aliyu noted that if stakeholders continue to work in silos, they will struggle to achieve their goals.
The REA boss disclosed that the agency had encountered situations where projects under different programs overlapped at the same locations. With funding for the sector shrinking, Aliyu stressed the need for stakeholders to share data and coordinate interventions to ensure efficient resource use. He suggested a centralized platform for sector data to help stakeholders identify existing projects, avoid duplication, and determine areas requiring new interventions.
The Minister of Power, Chief Joseph Tegbe, represented by his Chief of Staff, Doyin Adelabu, noted that fragmentation remained a major challenge to delivering electricity projects. Tegbe said fragmentation results in duplicated efforts, missed investment opportunities, and slower delivery of power to Nigerians who need it most. The Federal Government is establishing a standing Off-Grid Coordination Secretariat to track commitments and risks, convene issue-based working groups, and generate shared market intelligence.
The Minister called on development partners, financiers, private operators, state governments, and civil society organizations to nominate focal points, share data and commitments, and participate actively in the working groups. The Federal Ministry of Power will continue to provide policy direction through the National Electrification Strategy and Implementation Plan, while supporting the development of state electricity markets under the Electricity Act.
The Executive Director of the Rural Electrification Fund, Doris Uboh-Ogunkoya, emphasized that coordination should be a continuous function, not limited to periodic meetings. The Off-Grid Coordination Secretariat will help stakeholders identify gaps, address bottlenecks, and track commitments. Ikenna-Donald Ofoegbu, representing Heinrich Böll Stiftung Nigeria, urged stakeholders to look beyond the number of connections delivered when measuring the success of off-grid electricity interventions.
Ofoegbu called for greater emphasis on productive use of electricity, innovative financing, sustainability, and local capacity development. The sector needs to move from successful interventions to scale, from connections to productive use, and from donor-supported projects to investable markets. The Off-Grid Stakeholder Coordination and Partnership Forum aims to support Nigeria's goal of connecting 300 million Africans to electricity by 2030, with over 7.5 million Nigerians already gaining electricity access through off-grid projects.
Key points
- The Rural Electrification Agency is pushing for a unified approach to expand electricity access across Nigeria.
- The Federal Government is establishing a standing Off-Grid Coordination Secretariat to track commitments and risks.
- Over 7.5 million Nigerians have gained electricity access through off-grid projects, with a target of connecting 17 million more.
